It is simply amazing at how the people of ancient civilizations were able to survive. Air, water, food and shelter are considered to be necessary for human life and existence. Without these basic needs, one can not survive. By examining the daily lives of a sampling of ancient Roman citizens, one can conclude that this was a hard time in history and people were exposed to dangers that they were completely unaware of. It has only been through increased knowledge that similar problems do not continue to this day. The basic necessities of air, water, food and shelter created increased health risks to the citizens of the Roman Empire. The air was dangerous to the Romans during the cooking process. Cooking occurred with an open flame. In the book Household Gods, after Nichole Gunther-Perrin was first transported to Carnuntum, she observes that there are no chimneys which created problems with the evacuation of smoke. This smoke would then be inhaled by those cooking and also by customers of taverns similar to that run by Nichole or Umma. We have all heard of the dangers of inhaling smoke and of its potential health risks. Although most Romans enjoyed bathing and felt as if it was a healthy pursuit, the people were potentially exposed to several diseases by their fellow bathers creating another environment that made the air dangerous. "Since bathing was thought to be particularly valuable for sick people, communal baths contributed to the spread of communicable diseases" (Hunt et al. 2005, 211). In the book Household Gods, Nichole or Umma was potentially exposed to Tuberculosis while bathing when another woman had a coughing fit and expectorated some flecks of blood. Just as Nichole stated in the book, what better a place for bacteria and disease to grow than in the warm, moist environment of the public baths. The air was also filled with the stench of raw sewage that had been flung from windows of the residences. Although this was not a danger in itself, it eludes to the dangers that are associated with it. Raw sewage typically contains bacteria, viruses and other pathogens that can cause a variety of illnesses, from mild gastroenteritis (stomach cramps and diarrhea) to life-threatening illnesses such as cholera, dysentery and infectious hepatitis. We now have a good understanding of air pollutants and their effects upon humans. We have learned that extended exposure to smoke increases our carbon monoxide and arsenic levels. Both of these conditions can have negative impacts on humans. Water was another source of disease for the Roman citizens. The sewage that was discarded had the potential of leaching into the water supply used by the people. Umma and her children were exposed to some sort of virus or bacteria resulting in their getting gastroenteritis after drinking water instead of wine. When a wine shortage emerged, Umma remembered that in her modern life as Nichole, she could boil the water to kill off any pathogens that existed. The public baths created an exceptionally high risk to the Roman citizens. "The Romans did not have disinfectant and, while the evidence is scanty, it is likely that the bathing pools (which did not have circulating water) were only periodically emptied and cleaned" (Gigante, Linda, http://innominatesociety.com). Communicable diseases could easily spread with physicians prescribing bathing as a therapy for illness. This water supply was also used to bathe in by the citizens in the public baths. Not only was the water supply tainted by raw sewage, it also contained high concentrations of lead. Lead pipes were used to transport the water and was thought by some to have contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire. John Wilford published information that the Roman Empire's fall was linked with gout and lead poisoning (Wilford, John, New York Times on-line). A larger risk of lead poisoning stemmed from lining cups and cooking pots with lead. By eating and drinking from these...

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Religion in the RomanEmpire
Religion in the RomanEmpire was extremely diverse, due to Rome’s ability to blend in new religious beliefs from freshly conquered territory into the empire, from the Hebrew Religion in Palestine, the Classical Greek Gods of Homer in Asia Minor, the Druids in Gaul and Germania and Celt’s in Britannia, Rome’s religious tolerance was a vital hallmark which greatly attributed in its ability to successfully mend in new people and cultures into the empire. Rome’s religious toleration extended to new religions as long as they agreed to worship the Emperor and religious rituals stayed in the context of Roman civility, which refrained from practicing human sacrifices or mutilation, and did not incite rebellion.
Since Roman religion was not based on a core belief which forbade the introduction of other religious beliefs such as the Hebrew and later Christian religion, but rather a mixture of Latin and Greek religious influence with added deities as the empire expanded, which encompassed individual family household gods, regional and the classic Roman and Greek deities such as the Roman God Neptune or Greek counterpart Poseidon, both gods of the sea, the introduction of new religious practices into Roman life was very acceptable. As more and more...

...emperors that succeeded Augustus following his death in AD14. The Julio-Claudians were Roman Nobles with an impressive and significant ancestry in the RomanEmpire. It was during the Julio-Claudian reign that the RomanEmpire reached an optimum level of power and wealth, and has been seen as the golden age of Roman arts and literature. The beginning of the Julio-Claudian dynasty was signified by the succession of Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar, most commonly known as Tiberius, to the throne in AD14. Tiberius appears to have been the most capable and experienced of the Julio-Claudian emperors, due to his military, administrative and diplomatic abilities. He was a capable and forceful leader, who enforced justice within the government of the provinces, maintained the integrity of the frontiers, and monitored the finances of the empire. Despite his abilities, he became unpopular in Roman society, and his time as emperor has been described as a reign of terror due to his cruel nature, and the events that occurred during his reign. The significance of Tiberius’ reign as emperor is most evident in the political, social, legal and military developments during his reign; foreign and domestic diplomacy; and the role of building programs during this period. The portrayal of Tiberius in sources, and the reliability of...

...the height of the Second Punic War during the days of national catastrophe after the Battle of Cannae. This law was designed to limit the rights of women. The law was also passed to tap into wealthy women fortunes by the state in order to pay for the costs of the war. This law basically stripped the rights of women. Marcus Porcius Cato also known as the censor is one of the statesmen that supported the Lex Oppia law.
Marcus Porcius Cato was one of the statesmen who reject repealing the Lex Oppia law. Cato stated
“ If each of us, citizens, had determined to assert his rights and dignity as a husband with respect to his own spouse, we should have less trouble with the sex as a whole; as it is, our liberty, destroyed at home by female violence, even here in the Forum is crushed and trodden underfoot, and because we have not kept them individually under control, we dread them collectively. (Par. 2)
Cato is saying in his statement that he object in repealing against the Oppian Law because he believe that women were needed to be contained within this law. He believed in order for the husbands to keep control of their spouses properly, they need to be restrained under the Oppian Law. Cato believes that the Oppian Law allowed men to say dominant over women regardless whether some women were wealthier then some men. The main bases of his objections were on the fact of women not becoming superior to men. This was one of his fears of women during the...

...﻿ Marcus Cocceius Nerva, was a roman emperor who ruled from 96 to 98 A.D. He was born on November 8th in the year 30 A.D in Navia, Umbria. He was descended from a family of senatorial origins, having history with the previous emperors. Nerva’s great grandfather was consul during the year 36 B.C, and Governor of Asia in the same year. Nerva’s mother was the great granddaughter of Tiberius, therefore he had connections to the Julio- Claudian line.
Nerva did not seek to hold any military or public speaking career during his early life. “He was praetor-elect in the year 65 and, like his ancestors, moved in imperial circles as a skilled diplomat and strategist. ” Nerva’s was and advisor to emperor Nero, he successfully uncovered the Pisonian conspiracy of 65 against the emperor. As a result, Nero rewarded Nerva by giving him triumphal honors and the right of placing his statues all over the imperial place. After the year 71, he presumably worked as an advisor to emperor Vespasian (69–79) and his sons Titus (79–81) and Domitian (81–96).
Nerva was elected emperor by the senate upon the assassination of Domitian in 96 A.D. Despite he was emperor only for two years he did many accomplishments and improvements. Nerva disagreed with many of Domitian’s acts and decisions. He did not want to live in Domitian’s extravagant new palace and lived in a more modest settlement. Nerva also swore an oath declaring that he would not ever kill, or...

...The RomanEmpire is known as one of the greatest empires of all time, blossoming politically, economically, and culturally. Rome was quickly expanding, reaching as far as North Africa. When Octavian came into power, the Pax Romana, or “Roman Peace,” began. However, this long peace may have triggered the beginning of the end of the RomanEmpire. Because Rome was not distracted by conquering foreign lands, its citizens relaxed and lived in luxury. There did not seem to be any goals they did not meet; they were so blinded by their success that they did not realize complications within their own empire were slowly emerging. Some of these emerging factors that led to the downward spiral of Rome include: the instability and corruption of its government, which was the primary reason Rome declined; a dwindling military, which led to vulnerable spots; and invasions launched by foreign tribes, who took note of these vulnerabilities.
Although Rome seemed strong, political problems were boiling beneath the surface. Violence seemed to decide the leaders of the empire. From 235 to 285 CE, 22 emperors had ruled—13 of them were assassinated. This number is not totally accurate, as 3 of those assassinations were possible, but, for the most part, this data is plausible because they are statistics and not biased. (Doc A) To peoples outside of Rome, this showed that...

... The RomanEmpire is characterized by its spectacular urban engineering, its popular entertainment complexes, and its vast network of major roads. It was not the longest lasting or the largest empire in history; however, it stands out because of its incredible capabilities of construction. The Romans were “the foremost engineers of the ancient world, with the possible exception of the ancient Egyptians, whose architectural achievements remain some of the most significant ever attempted. The Romans, however, attained engineering triumphs in a wide range of areas.” The Romans attained these feats of engineering by modifying existing architectural technologies and techniques for their construction, and by being very practical in their art of building. They spread these accomplishments to the regions they conquered. A great architect of Augustus’ time, Vitruvius (c. 27 B.C.E.), wrote in his work, On Architecture, that architects should know about medicine, law, and light. The knowledge of medicine was important for the health of the Romans in their public gathering areas and for their aqueducts. Architects needed to know about law so that buildings were built up to code, and understanding light was important so that they could make the best use of natural light.
Two important factors in the success of the Roman engineering were their invention of...

...In Rome’s empireduring the 100-600 C.E. periods, there were cultural and political changes and continuities occurring. The continuity in Rome culturally was Christianization. Christianization was the empire becoming a basis upon Christianity. A political continuity in Rome was the superiority of technology, which aided in the successfulness of the military. Some of the technology was the new armor and the use of the material, concrete. A cultural change in the RomanEmpire was the way that the lower classes were treated. The way the lower class was treated had changed a lot and eventually caused them to revolt. A political change in the Ancient RomanEmpire was the military strategies. The military at first had a large navy and began to break it up into smaller, more maneuverable units.
In the Ancient empires, religion was a necessity for empires to flourish. After the RomanEmpire had several religions for a long time, Christianity had risen. For the first three centuries of the existence of Christianity, it was rejected. Christianity was looked down upon because the peoples saw it as rebellious because it was based upon a kingdom of heaven that was separate from the Roman unsophisticated empire. Christianity was then accepted because of its philosophy of an orderly world and concern for...

... The RomanEmpire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterized by government headed by emperors, and large territorial holdings around the Mediterranean Sea in Europe, Africa, and Asia. The 500 year old republic which preceded it was severely destabilized in a series of civil wars and political conflict, during which Julius Caesar was appointed as perpetual dictator and then assassinated in 44 BC. Civil wars and executions continued, culminating in the victory of Octavian, Caesar's adopted son, over Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC and the annexation of Egypt. Octavian's power was now unassailable and in 27 BC the Roman Senate formally granted him overarching power and the new title Augustus, effectively marking the end of the Roman Republic.
The imperial successor to the Republic endured for some 500 years. The first two centuries of the Empire's existence were a period of unprecedented political stability and prosperity known as the Pax Romana, or "Roman Peace". Following Octavian's victory, the size of the Empire was dramatically increased. After the assassination of Caligula in 41, the Senate briefly considered restoring the republic, but the Praetorian Guard proclaimed Claudius Emperor instead. Under Claudius, the Empire underwent its first major expansion since Augustus. After...